BARKSDALE AFB, La. -- The Air Force concluded the final of four virtual public hearings Oct. 22 as part of the on-going Environmental Impact Statement for the first B-21 Main Operating Base.
The EIS hearings provided the public an opportunity to comment on the draft EIS, which was posted online Sep. 25 at https://www.b21eis.com/draft_eis.aspx. Under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Air Force must conduct environmental analyses for any major federal proposed action to determine the environmental impact from the proposed activities and provide the public, as well as other stakeholders, an opportunity to comment on the action and associated analyses.
As announced publicly on March 27, 2019 [https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1797946/air-force-announces-ellsworth-afb-as-first-b-21-base/], three bases were selected as B-21 MOBs: Dyess Air Force Base, Texas; Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota; and Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
The EIS for the first MOB evaluates beddown at either Ellsworth AFB or Dyess AFB. Plans for the first B-21 MOB includes a Formal Training Unit, two operational squadrons and a weapons generation facility. Following compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and other regulatory and planning processes, a final basing decision for the first MOB is expected in 2021.
The final decisions for the second and third MOBs will require another EIS. The second EIS will begin no later than 2022.
The public comment period for the first MOB EIS ends on Nov. 9. Instructions on how to submit comments can be found on the B-21 EIS website: https://www.b21eis.com/public_hearings.aspx